Abstract

In wireless ad hoc networks and sensor networks, energy use is in many
cases the most important constraint since it corresponds directly to
operational lifetime. This paper presents two topology control
protocols that extend the lifetime of dense ad hoc networks while
preserving connectivity, the ability for nodes to reach each
other. Our protocols conserve energy by identifying redundant nodes
and turning their radios off. Geographic Adaptive Fidelity (GAF)
identifies redundant nodes by their physical location and a
conservative estimate of radio range. Cluster-based Energy
Conservation (CEC) directly observes radio connectivity to determine
redundancy and so can be more aggressive at identifying duplication
and more robust to radio fading. We evaluate these protocols through
analysis, extensive simulations, and experimental results in two
wireless testbeds, showing that the protocols are robust to variance
in node mobility, radio propagation, node deployment density, and
other factors.